You Wish
by auto-meiser
Summary: KC has an amulet that grants two wishes. But will he get what he really wants when he makes the wish or will he wish it all away! Orginally written in 2006/7 when eyeboards was still around.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

KC groaned as he was pushed into yet another cage, smaller than the one he'd been in for the last couple of weeks. That was the thing about the tribe with no name; they insisted that all their prisoners lived in cages barely resembling the size of a cardboard box. Not only did they insist on the cages, they made damn sure that no one ever saw their faces, masks always covered them.

Rubbing his head as it smacked against the rusty cage door, KC sighed and sunk to the sandy floor that covered the base of the cage, his hands running along the gritty surface as he looked up at the masked guards, his eyes narrowing when he saw who was thrown in next, a girl and boy. The girl was small, she could only have been around 8 or 9, and the guy looked to be around KC's age, but of a smaller build.

KC smiled at them, the two of them seemed to be clinging to each other as if there was no tomorrow. "I'm KC," he said in a gruff voice, his throat dry from the lack of water and excess sun that shone down on the desert like prison.

"I'm Sol" the boy said with a small nod of his head, the little girl burying her head in his shoulder "And this is my kid sister Gabi"

"Nice to meet you… under the circumstances" KC said wryly…

Sol laughed before he turned his attention back to Gabi and KC was left with no one to talk to, his attention focused on a bug that kept flying in circles above his head, he watched it until he felt dizzy and that he might barf.

It was at that point someone yanked on his hair and his head smacked back against the cage… "What the hell?" KC cried as he spun around ready to whack whoever had pulled him against the cage… "Alice?"

Alice smiled through the cage that adjoined his, "KC… you glad to see me? Sorry about pulling your head back. See I thought to myself, there's only one guy in the whole world with green spiky hair… my Mallrat buddy KC…"

"Spot on" KC replied with a smirk "So how are you? How have you been?"

"I'm a prisoner, I've been better!"

Later on that day, when the evening was closing in and Alice had dozed off, mumbling something about sheep farming, KC's eyelids were heavy with sleep when someone nudged his arm.

"Oh hey Sol" he said sleepily…

"KC… I have something for you" Sol insisted, as he pushed something cold into KC's hand…

"What is it?" KC asked, holding the metal object up to the dimming sun…

Sol's eyes widened… "An amulet"

"I don't understand why you are giving it to me?" KC asked, a puzzled frown adorning his face…

"It's your turn. You have two wishes with the amulet, but only two. They can change your life for the better or the worse…"

"Two wishes huh?" KC asked with a raised eyebrow…

Sol nodded "Be careful…"

"I will"

When it was dark, KC looked suspiciously at the amulet. It was a simple silvery thing; something a person might walk past if you saw it in the street. But here in his hand, KC swore that it was sending tingles through him.

"Weird" he mumbled closing his eyes, as the amulet slipped from his hand, the chain still linked around his thumb and it swung from his hand.

KC mumbled sleepily, the day's traveling having taken its toll on him… "I wish…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"KC… KC" came a female voice, breaking through KC's sleep as his eyes opened and he groaned… great another day of slave work…

"Young man… I won't tell you again… get up and get ready for college"

"Mum?" KC cried as he opened his eyes, taking in the full view of where he was. No longer was he in the uncomfortable cage… he was in his own bed, a place he hadn't been for a good five years. And now he was hearing his mother's voice… if this was a dream he didn't want to wake up…

The door to KC's room opened and his cross looking mother frowned "Get out of bed… now. Your breakfast is getting cold" she scolded…

"Mum!" KC cried again, jumping from the bed and straight into her arms… "You're not dead…"

"Of course not… I'm here!" she laughed…

KC smiled and hugged his mother tightly, just glad that she was alive still… a frown crossing his face. He was feeling incredibly confused.

What was real? The virus or not? Which one was a dream?

After scoffing down his breakfast and pulling on jeans and a t-shirt, KC grabbed his bag that was already packed. As he ran down the stairs when the doorbell rung, his jaw dropping open at who was there… "Patsy?"

Patsy frowned "Are you okay KC?"

KC nodded as his mother closed his jaw, "He's been a little off today. You three make sure you have fun at college"

"Three?" KC squeaked…

"Yes… me, you and Paul of course" Patsy laughed, looking at KC worried… shaking her head she turned on her heel and joined a tall dark haired boy waiting down KC's path…

"Come on… we haven't got all day" Patsy called…

KC looked at his mother, hugging her tightly before he closed the door behind him. The idea of going to college was daunting and scary for him. Last he could remember was Amber lecturing him in the Mall about reading, he smiled at the memory of avoiding her 'reading lessons'.

"'You okay?" Paul signed with a raised eyebrow as he looked at KC…

KC found that he was able to understand Paul's signing, something he never remembered learning… "I had a really weird dream"

Patsy smirked "Weird dream? Weird how?"

KC shook his head "You wouldn't believe me if I told you"

"Yeah we would" Patsy protested… "Please tell…"

"Well… it's really weird. I swear the whole dream was so real, I thought this was a dream when I woke up… it all started with a virus that killed all the adults…" KC started, and carried on explaining all about the Mallrats, the Chosen, the Techno's and how he'd ended up a prisoner…

"Wow, you could make a good film of that" Paul signed…

Patsy nodded "Yeah… wouldn't it be weird if the amulet thing you were talking about changed reality and you ended back up in real life… now that would make a good ending"

KC looked at Patsy in shock… realizing that what she was suggesting had happened. He remembered the last memory of being in the cage, and the amulet… where'd he'd wished he could go back and change things…

Holy shit!

I've gone and changed it. Sol was right, I have two wishes… and I wished the virus had never happened. And now I'm living that wish…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The day drifted by pretty quick, KC was amazed that he understood most of the classes he was in. Not only that, but he was able to read and write. Something that he'd never been able to do previously, and before he knew what was happening, the day was over and the students all left college, each going their own way.

Although he'd had a good day, KC couldn't help but wonder about his other friends, the Mallrats. He figured the best place to start would be the Mall, it was the heart of the Mallrats and he knew that if any of them were alive… they'd be connected to it somehow.

Watching as groups walked out of the building, KC smile when he finally spotted Patsy. To him she looked amazing, the years had been good to her and she'd grown into a great looking girl…

"Patsy" KC yelled out, waving to get her attention…

Patsy saw KC, she waved back at him and bid farewell to her friends… "Hey" Patsy called as she neared KC… "How was your day?"

"Not too bad…" KC frowned…

Patsy looked at KC with a raised eyebrow "I don't think I believe you… that frown tells me otherwise… Paul!"

KC glanced over his shoulder, smiling at Paul as he joined the group. Lipstick smeared across his lips as Patsy and KC looked at each other with raised eyebrows… "Did you have fun?" KC asked, "Any nice girls?"

Paul frowned, not understanding what his sister and KC were on about until Patsy handed him a tissue and pointed to his mouth. Paul went bright red when he saw the lipstick on the tissue "Yeah she was nice… what are you guys talking about?"

"KC was just explaining why he looks down" Patsy signed…

"I'm not down!" KC cried… "I just… can you guys come with me? I need to go somewhere"

"Sure…" Patsy nodded "Where?"

"The Phoenix Mall… do you know it?" KC asked…

Patsy looked at Paul and the two of them shook their heads "You're kidding right?" Paul asked…

"No… I need to go there"

"What are you? A grave robber?" Patsy cried as she ran away… leaving Paul and KC behind…

"What'd I do?" KC signed rapidly…

"Our cousin… she was then when… I can't believe you don't remember" Paul signed back before he ran off after Patsy…

KC was even more confused… "What? I don't get it?"

Later on that night, after trying continuously to get through to Patsy's mobile, KC figured he'd try the net to see if there were any details on why Patsy and Paul were so upset. He didn't get why their cousin was involved in a Mall…

Searching on the local newspaper, KC found several articles relating to the Mall, one headline caught his eye…

"Bomb destroys Phoenix Mall"

Inhaling deeply, KC carried on reading… the article went on to say how the Mall had been destroyed by a cult two years previously. Their leader, Jaffa, had retaliated when his new religion had not been endorsed. For some reason, which no one understood, he'd chosen the Phoenix Mall…

"Oh god, it was the Guardian… he blew it up" KC cried as the name Jaffa finally rung a bell… despite not wanting to know the ins and outs of Jaffa's bombing, KC felt the need to find out more…

The article told of the devastation caused by the bomb, and how several youths had been seriously injured at the time. But it was the mention of deaths that caught his eye, in particular the names Bray and Zandra, two of the ten victims that had died.

KC's eyes grew wide… Bray and Zandra had died in a bomb blast that had been set off by The Guardian /Jaffa. It was too real, too much of déjà vu for KC to comprehend. Even in this reality his friends died… now he understood why Patsy had run off, her cousin had been one of those that had been killed.

KC let out a sob for his friends… they were gone, even if the virus didn't happen Bray and Zandra were doomed to die…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

KC sighed sadly, running a hand through his hair as he walked down the stairs. He wasn't use to having flat hair; in fact he missed the spikes and had considered dying it green. But it wasn't the time to do that. He had to get to college and talk to Paul and Patsy about the Mall and how it linked in with what he knew about the Mallrats.

"Morning sweetie, how'd you sleep?" KC's mother asked as he wandered into the kitchen…

"Badly" KC said, as he slumped into his chair…

"Well I hope you have a better day at college" she said, putting plates of toast down in front of herself and KC, before switching on the TV…

KC bit into the toast, barely listening to the TV as he tried to get his head around what had happened in the last day…

And in finishing, a local boy is still missing. It was reported to the police late last night when he failed to return home from his college. The boy is local lad Paul Rivers; he is 17 years of age and attends Charadd's college. Paul's family are increasingly worried for his safety, after reports that a gang of youths were seen following him. If you have any news of the whereabouts of Paul, please call the police with your information.

KC's toast dropped from his mouth as his eyes widened…

Paul, was missing? How the hell did that happen?

"Paul? As in Patsy's brother?" KC's mum asked…

KC simply nodded "I have to go to college… NOW!" he cried, running out of the door at top speed…

Having rushed to college, KC was very early; he was extremely worried about Paul. He'd tried both Patsy and Paul's mobiles many times on the way to college, but they'd not answered, so he'd left messages asking them to get back to him as soon as they could.

"Patsy where are you?" KC asked aloud as he walked up and down the corridors, trying to find any sign of her. All of her friends he asked didn't know where she was either.

By lunchtime KC was growing increasingly worried. He'd given up on going to classes, and instead was camped outside the front of the college for when… no if Patsy came in.

The time passed and before he knew it, Patsy hadn't been at college all day, he'd heard on the radio that Paul was still missing. Shaking his head, KC wondered if this was all down to his wish, sure he'd asked that the virus never happened… but now funny things were happening to his friends, he had to go and find out about the others…

But first he had to go and see if Patsy was around, he had to know if she was okay…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

KC hurried to Patsy's house, he didn't want to waste any time in finding her and discovering what was happening with Paul. He was really quite scared that something weird was going on, and had to know what it was.

So lost in his thoughts was he that KC didn't see where he was going and almost fell over, "Oh god… I'm so sorry" KC pleaded as he looked up from his feet...

"It's okay," the girl said as she looked down at the pram, "Kid's asleep, no harm done"

KC frowned… "Trudy?"

Trudy nodded "Do I know you?"

"It's me KC… don't you remember?"

Trudy frowned… "Your name sounds familiar"

KC sighed, in this life Patsy and Paul were his friends, Trudy didn't know him from a stranger, "I knew Bray" KC said, he assumed the child in the pram had to be Brady…

"Oh" Trudy said…

"Is that Brady?" KC asked as he pointed to the toddler…

"Brady?" Trudy asked with a frown, "Who'd give a kid such a stupid name? No this is Martina"

"Martina?" KC asked… "So where's Zoo… I mean Martin?"

Trudy stifled a gasp, "I don't know what you want… but Martina is mine and Bray's daughter. Martin is dead, all because he didn't want to be a father! He just assumed that when I went to speak to him that it was to tell him he was the father. All I meant to say to him was that he was going to be an uncle and that I loved Bray. And now they're both gone. Martin killed himself, happy?"

"So Brad… I mean Martina is Bray's child. So where's Amber?"

"Amber?" Trudy cried… "Is a whore… she went off the rails a while ago. Tried to take Bray from me, but she didn't succeed. If you see her, tell her how much I hate her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and visit some graves. Today is the anniversary of their deaths" Trudy retorted as she sped off with the pram leaving a very confused KC behind.

Did Trudy mean that Amber was a prostitute or that she was just emotionally upset?

KC was even more confused, and he'd not even got to Patsy's house yet to find out about Paul. Shaking his head in confusion, KC hurried on his way…

"Patsy?" KC cried as he reached her door and hammered on it, "Can you hear me? I need to talk to you"

Five minutes later, the door opened and a tear stained Patsy appeared in the doorway looking meek and fragile "KC" she said softly…

KC understood Patsy's plea and he stepped forward, pulling her into his arms "Everything's going to be just fine now Patsy, just fine"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was late at night when KC finally got home… he'd spent the last four hours sitting with Patsy as her parents spoke to the police. The two of them had sat silently, KC had just been there for Patsy, and he knew that he had to be a strong friend for her. He was her best friend, but he felt a tingling of something more. Something he thought was the beginning of deep feelings…

But right now he was back home, where his head was still running through with ideas. He had to know what happened to the Mallrats. After all, it had been him that had wished the virus never happened; he had to know how they were living in this reality, or whatever it was.

Sighing, KC sat down at his desk and wrote down nine names, the names of the Mallrats that he'd come across or heard about so far. He wrote next to them, what few details he knew…

_The Guardian – Killed when he blew up the Mall  
>Zandra – Died at the Mall<br>Bray – Died at the Mall, was with Trudy and they had a kid called Martina  
>Trudy – Alive, has Martina, loved Bray, and hates Amber<br>Martin – Killed himself when he thought Trudy was pregnant with his baby  
>Brady – Bray's child, called Martina<br>Amber – Alive, a whore?  
>Paul – Alive, but missing<br>Patsy – Alive_

As he looked down at the details, KC sighed… he had to know what happened to the rest of them. In particular he wanted to know whom Patsy's cousin was, and what had made Amber go off the rails. It was like he was in an alternate reality where some things were the same… and others were bizarrely different…

Lost in thought, KC was only brought back to his senses when he heard his computer beep, indicating he had an email. Frowning, KC opened up the email, and read with interest:

_Yo KC,_

_Don't forget we've got our 'poker' game tomorrow tonight at Pride's. It's your turn to bring the drink, Lex is bringing the 'entertainment' and Luke's got the cards.  
>Don't forget, 8 sharp.<br>See ya tomorrow buddy,_

_Ryan_

KC raised an eyebrow; Ryan was his 'buddy', it made him wonder what sort of poker game they were going to have. But at least he knew that Pride, Lex, Luke and Ryan were still alive… he just dreaded to think what the four of them were like.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

Having skipped college for the day, KC had spent most of the day with Patsy until she had to go with her parents to the police station. She'd insisted that she'd be back at college the following day and would see KC in the morning.

Reluctantly, KC had agreed and after he'd trundled home and pulled on a set of clean clothes, he'd headed out to Pride's house after getting the address from his mum.

And now he stood outside the small house, it wasn't a big place, but rather it looked homely, somewhere KC could imagine the tree hugger living. Knocking on the door, KC waited to see what was behind the door. It couldn't be any weirder than what he'd already seen.

"Yo KC" Ryan cried as he opened the door and pulled in KC by his shirt… "Why you using the front door? You know we always come in the back"

KC frowned "What? Why?"

"God… you're not with it, are you? So we can sneak Lex in… and none of the neighbours get suspicious. You screwed?"

"Huh? Ryan what's wrong with you?"

"Me mate? Nothing… nothing at all"

"Yeah sure" KC said dismissively… "Where are the others?"

"Other's like me?" Lex replied with a smirk as he emerged from the den, "Missed me kid?"

KC's jaw almost hit the floor… gone was the Lex he knew… Lex now had short hair and wore lots of gold jewellery, the sparkliest medallion he'd ever seen hung from Lex's neck…

"Yo KC" Ryan smirked as he slapped KC around the face… "What's up with you?"

"Why is Lex dressed like that?" KC whispered…

"Like what? It's normal…" Ryan replied with a shrug as he headed back into the den…

KC frowned at Lex, his eyes widening as he saw Pride, or someone resembling Pride emerge from the den, "Ohmigod!" KC shrieked…

"What?" Lex asked rolling his eyes "Practicing again are you Pride?"

Pride grinned at Lex and nodded… before he turned and waved to KC…

KC looked to Lex… and then Pride before pushing both past of them. "What the hell is going on?" he cried… as he ran smack bang into a darkly clothed person who smelt funny, as he fell to the floor, knocking his head on the unit behind him…

Ryan waved a towel above KC's face in an attempt to revive him… "Come on kiddo… wake up!"

And as if by magic, KC's eye's opened… "Who the hell are you guys?" he shrieked as he backed away from them. Hearing about Martina had been weird enough, but here was a scary looking Lex, Pride dressed as a clown, Ryan with freaky long hair and Luke dressed head to toe in black leather with a pale face.

"We're your friends" Ryan replied…

"Friends? You guys look like a bunch of circus freaks!" KC retorted… as he scrambled to his feet…

Pride grinned widely at the idea, as he signed quickly and KC understood him… "I want to be in the circus… I really do'

'Why are you signing Pride? Can't you hear?'

Pride shook his head "I can't speak'

"Oh" KC mumbled, dazed from his fall… so Pride was mute and wanted to be in the circus as a clown, Ryan looked like what could only be described as a hippy…

"What's up with you Ryan? Why the long hair?"

"Why not?" Ryan asked… "It's natural and great"

"Okay then" KC said dismissively… "What's your story Luke? Why the leather?"

"It makes me look good" Luke replied with a nod, before turning to glance at himself and adjusted his jet-black hair.

"Good? You look like a freak!"

Luke pouted, putting his hands on his hips as he spoke… "I am a freak. It's my nature, you know that!"

"And you Lex? What's with the medallion… you look like a pimp!"

Lex smirked… "Spot on kid…"

"Oh Lexy poo… what's going on?" cried a female voice… "I'm bored… is the party getting started soon?"

KC's jaw dropped when he saw who the female draping herself around Lex was, it was none other than "AMBER!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

Having been completed shocked and utter disturbed at what he'd seen at the 'poker evening', KC had run out making excuses about feeling ill and that he'd ring tomorrow. Not looking back, KC had jogged all the way home, needing the fresh air to deal with what was going on in his head.

Once he was back home, KC ran up the stairs and closed the door behind him. Slumping onto his bed, he stared up at the ceiling, hoping that the cheap glow in the dark stars on the ceiling would give him the divine inspiration he needed; instead they made him feel extremely dizzy…

"Okay KC… figure out what you know…" he mumbled to himself, getting out the piece of paper from earlier on and adding to the list…

_The Guardian – Killed when he blew up the Mall  
>Zandra – Died at the Mall<br>Bray – Died at the Mall, was with Trudy and they had a kid called Martina  
>Trudy – Alive, has Martina, loved Bray, and hates Amber<br>Martin – Killed himself when he thought Trudy was pregnant with his baby  
>Brady – Bray's child, called Martina<br>Amber – Alive, definitely a b  
>Paul – Alive, but missing<br>Patsy – Alive  
>Ryan – Spaced out hippy<br>Luke – Utter freak!  
>Lex – Amber's pimp<br>Pride – Mute who wants to join the circus as a clown_

Shaking his head in utter disbelief… KC could have sworn he was in the dream of a deranged person. But everything was so real, and no matter how many times he pinched himself he was still in this reality.

Sighing, KC decided his best bet was to turn in for the night. Sleeping on things might make them seem less odd in the morning. Though he was doubtful that it would change things…

KC's dreams were not full of clouds and daisies; they were troubled and incredibly disturbing. At one point, KC swore he was counting sheep with Alice's head on them…

'Okay… stop this freaky shit; I want to wake up now'

'Tough, you can't wake up till I'm finished…'

'Holy shit! Alice, you're talking to me!'

"Well yeah" Alice replied, rolling her eyes…

'Why do you have the body of a sheep?" KC asked as he pointed at the fluffy body that was now Alice…

'Don't ask me… it's your damn dream KC'

'Wait… you know who I am?'

'Yes d'uh brain" Alice said as she rolled her eyes again…

'But why are you in my dream?'

'Because you have a lot of questions and since I'm dead… apparently I can enter your dreams…'

'Wait... you're dead?" KC squeaked…

'Yeah… a damn barn platform fell on me, squished me. My body was not a pretty sight when my soul left it. I mean the amount of blood, and oh the bones that were broken… very gross'

'Charming…'

'So you need some guidance, and I'm your guide. Let's just make this quick, being a sheep is very uncomfortable, not to mention itchy. Did I mention I have an allergy to wool?'

KC sighed… "So why am I here? Where is here?'

'It's simple KC. You had the amulet; you made the wish to be here. Here being the place if the virus hadn't happened. Now things are a little different, some people are dead. Others have different lives.'

'Yeah I noticed that'

'Well you have one wish left KC. You can either stay in this world with the way things are, or you can go back. The power is all yours'

KC frowned "Wait, so if I stay in this world. You stay dead?'

'Well until I can master how to become corporeal again. Yeah pretty much'

'That sucks'

'It has its advantages. But I have to go now. Remember KC, you have the power. You have the last wish'

Shaking his head KC's eyes bolted open as he was once again staring at the glow in the dark stars…


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

KC didn't sleep much after the incident with Alice and the sheep; it scared him to think that his wish had killed someone… well in fact killed two people. Back in the virus world, he knew that Bray and Alice were alive… here they were just dead.

He wasn't in the mood for college; he had to know what was going on with the rest of the Mallrats. Frowning, KC remembered Alice's words about the barn squashing her… it was eerily similar to Lex saving Alice when the barn fell down in the virus world… a little too familiar.

Picking up the phone, KC dialed Patsy's number. He guessed she'd be sick of the police and the news reports about her brother, reports which were now suggesting Paul was part of a drug smuggling operation that had gone wrong…

"Pats… its KC… do you fancy coming for a little adventure?" KC asked, smiling as he heard Patsy's soft voice on the other end "You do, great… I'll see you in an hour"

An hour later, and KC and Patsy were on their way to the farm. The route was so familiar to KC, the scenery no different, except the big housing estate that had risen up next to the farm. He knew that if he was going to find out about Alice… the farm was the best place to start…

"So why are we going here?" Patsy asked as she linked her arm through KC's… "Because you had some freaky dream?"

"Yeah… Alice, the girl I knew was killed here a couple of years ago… I need to see what's happening there…"

"Oh… okay" Patsy replied with a small smile…

When they reached the farm, KC sighed; he was feeling a little nervous. But who wouldn't, after what he'd seen the last couple of days… nothing would surprise him… or at least he didn't think so…

Knocking on the door, KC looked at Patsy and she squeezed his hand reassuringly as they looked up eagerly to the door… "Ellie?" KC cried, as he recognized the face…

"Ohmigod… it is you"

"What do you want?" Ellie barked…

"Ellie… don't you know me?" KC asked…

"Should I?"

"I knew Alice… she was my friend. I only just heard about her dying, I'm really sorry"

Ellie let out a laugh… "You're a little late… about two and a half years. But thanks. You wanna come in?" Ellie asked, opening the door a little more…

KC looked to Patsy and she nodded, the two of them stepped inside… and looked around… "Nice place you have here"

"Thanks" Ellie replied… as she watched Patsy wander around, whilst KC stood still smiling awkwardly at Ellie…

"Who's this? She has cool hair" Patsy smiled, picking up a picture of a girl with bright pink hair…

"That was my cousin Dee, she died" Ellie said with a shrug…

"I'm sorry Ellie" KC said, as he looked to Patsy who bit her lower lip…

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't stand the cow; she had the most grating voice… I was kind of glad when the plane crashed…"

"Crashed?"

"Yeah… she was on her way over here for a visit and the plane crashed. Except I knew it wasn't just a visit, she wanted me to sell the farm so she could make some money… twisted bitch. Like I say, I'm glad she's dead"

"Honey! Who's at the door? I'm getting changed," cried a voice from the other room…

"Oh Neddy… behave, we have guests" Ellie yelled back…

"Neddy? As in ginger Ned?" KC squeaked…

"Yeah" Ellie replied… "How do you know my husband?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

KC blinked a couple of times as Patsy waved a hand in front of his face… "KC" she hissed, "Stop staring!"

"Huh what?" KC rambled as he shook his head and smiled at Ellie, who raised an eyebrow…

"So, I said how did you know about Ned?" Ellie repeated…

"Um… I heard about him from someone" KC lied… he didn't even want to know how Ellie and Ned got together… the thought just made him shudder…

"Oh" Ellie said as she shook her head "Do you guys want to stay for dinner?"

"Huh?" KC asked; he didn't get what Ellie was asking…

"KC, she simply asked if we wanted to stay for dinner," Patsy repeated in a strained voice as she nudged him…

"Sure… that would be great thanks"

"Great" Ellie replied with a smile… "Make yourselves at home"

KC and Patsy sat on the sofa, huddled close together… whilst Patsy kept cursing KC for agreeing to stay for dinner. Just when she'd nudged him… the door flew open and two more people stormed in…

"I told you Andy… leave me the hell alone…"

"Ah Tally, Andy… you're back" Ellie stated… "Good day?"

"Oh shut up," Andy yelled as he stormed into the living room, saw KC and Patsy and then stormed back into the kitchen "Why the hell are they here? Is this a drop in centre now?"

"Who?" Tally asked as she poked her head around the corner…

"They're KC and Patsy… they knew my sister. Now please don't be annoying little twits and be nice to them" Ellie retorted back, her tone of voice suggesting that she had the last word…

Ten minutes of silence, and the group were seated at the dinner table, just waiting on Ned. "Come on Neddy" Ellie called, as Tally and Andy rolled their eyes…

Ned emerged from the bedroom, and KC's eyes just flew wide open… Ned had a Mohican and it made him look so stupid. "Hi Ned" Patsy said, as she jumped on KC's silence…

"Hey strangers… welcome" Ned said with a smile… "Kids" he said to Tally and Andy…

"For god sake Andy, at least acknowledge Ned" Ellie pleaded… "You can't ignore him forever…"

"Wanna bet?" Andy replied as he scraped his chair along the floor and stormed off to his room…

Ned looked a little upset as he turned to Tally "How's my girl? You mad with me?"

Tally groaned, "I'm not 'your girl', you freak"

"TALLY!" Ellie warned…

"What?" Tally screeched… "He won't sort out the skank who got me pregnant" she retorted, pointing to her belly which was quite round… something KC had neglected to take in earlier on…

"You're pregnant?" KC asked….

"Yes… thanks to the skank called Sammy" Tally cried… before she similarly got up and ran off to her room…

Ned looked dejected and Ellie put her head in her hands, as KC glanced at Patsy…

KC was glad that him and Patsy had made a hasty exit… the atmosphere at the farm was horrid. KC couldn't figure out what Ned's deal was… he seemed almost like a nice guy in this reality… Tally and Andy, well they seemed to be extremely rude and unhappy… whatever was going on with them, KC wasn't sure he wanted to know…

"Earth to KC" Patsy smiled as once again she waved her hand in front of his face…

"Oh sorry Pats… I wasn't thinking"

"It's okay. I'm getting use to the space cadet KC… I even kind of like him" Patsy replied with a smile as she rested her head on KC's shoulder…

"I'm here for you Pats. I want you to know that" KC said suddenly "I'm always here for you"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11  
><strong>  
>KC looked at the piece of paper with his friend's names on and frowned…<p>

_The Guardian – Killed when he blew up the Mall  
>Zandra – Died at the Mall<br>Bray – Died at the Mall, was with Trudy and they had a kid called Martina  
>Trudy – Alive, has Martina, loved Bray, and hates Amber<br>Martin – Killed himself when he thought Trudy was pregnant with his baby  
>Brady – Bray's child, called Martina<br>Amber – Alive, definitely a b  
>Paul – Alive, but missing<br>Patsy – Alive  
>Ryan – Spaced out hippy<br>Luke – Utter freak!  
>Lex – Amber's pimp<br>Pride – Mute who wants to join the circus as a clown  
>Alice – Dead, killed by a barn<br>Ellie – Married to Ned, and lives at the farm  
>Ned – Married to Ellie, is just plain weird!<br>Tally – Pregnant by someone called Sammy  
>Andy – A very negative person<em>

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, was he supposed to pick the best reality and live there for eternity? How was he supposed to know what the best reality was?

Folding the piece of paper up and pocketing it, KC walked to college… he had to try and learn what he could in this reality before he used his final wish.

According to KC's schedule he had some sort of computer tutorial, he wasn't too sure on what exactly it involved… but still he had to go and find out.

Having located the computer labs, KC knocked on the door and opened it when he heard a response…

"KC"

"Jack?" KC asked as he looked at the brown haired guy, who looked so much older than the geeky guy he remembered…

"Yes… it's me" Jack replied with a smirk… "You ready for the class?"

KC nodded in response and sat down next to Jack, "Look… I know this maybe weird, but I'm having a weird turn right now, so I need you to bear with me. What's happened to you in the last few years?"

"Are you okay KC?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you never talk to me! In fact you're usually rude and call me a geek" Jack replied as he crossed his arms…

"I do?" KC asked with surprise… frowning as Jack nodded "Let's just say I've had an epiphany"

"Sounds intense" Jack replied, his voice somewhat distrusting… "You really want me to give you my life story?"

KC nodded "I have some things I need to understand…"

"Okay… put simply, I was made an orphan when my father was killed in the explosion at the Phoenix Mall; he ran the electronics store there. Since then I've been on my own, I make a living programming for a major company by night, in addition to tutoring so that I can work my way through college… okay?"

KC was a little shocked to hear that Jaffa had also killed Jack's father, which he hadn't expected. But Jack had mentioned nothing about him and Ellie, and that worried him a little. He was so deep in thought, that he didn't hear Patsy yelling his name… only realising she was calling him when she was inches away from his face…

"Are you deaf KC?" Patsy squeaked…

"No… I just didn't hear you"

"Same thing" Patsy smirked…

"Why were you yelling at me?" KC asked… "Is it about Paul?"

Patsy shook her head "No…" she said sadly, before a smile crept on her face "you'll never believe who I saw in town!"

"Who?"

"Cloe!" Patsy squealed...

KC blinked a couple of times, "Cloe? As in little Cloe?"

"No silly" Patsy said as she rolled her eyes "Cloe the model…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

KC was somewhat disturbed by Patsy referring to Cloe as a model, sure he wasn't denying that Cloe was a pretty girl, she always had been. But out of the pair of them, KC had always found Patsy the more attractive.

"For real? Cloe's a model?" KC asked with a frown…

Patsy rolled her eyes "You really are being a space cadet aren't you?" she said with a sigh, "Yes… Cloe was a child model, she was discovered on a street corner at age 10, and the story goes that she was found holding a cat. Some producer liked her and she got her first advert… things kind of grew for her then, she moved from television to the catwalk and then recently tried singing. But it bummed."

"Oh" KC said, Patsy seemed to know an awful lot about Cloe's 'career'

"Yes… and rumours are going around that she was kicked out of modeling… people are saying she's lost her contract"

"Because she couldn't sing?"

"Yep… tough world… isn't it?"

KC nodded doubtfully as Patsy pulled him in the direction of town… desperate to show him how gorgeous Cloe was…

KC was not amused to be shown Cloe, she looked anorexic… so much thinner than he remembered… her makeup was heavy and KC thought she looked like a bean pole… a not very attractive bean pole.

"I'm going to go and see if I can an autograph," Patsy said with a smile as she ran off and left KC alone. Rolling his eyes he leant back against the building, admiring Patsy's *** as she toddled off towards Cloe, almost jumping out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder…

"Hello KC!"

"Amber!" KC shrieked…

"Did you miss me?"

"Not really. What are you doing here?" KC asked with a frown…

"Working" Amber replied as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and popped a stick of gum in her mouth "What else?"

"Of course, why do you do it Amber? Why sell your body?"

"Why not?" Amber replied…

"There must be a reason" KC protested… "A reason why you started! Is it something to do with Bray?" he asked remembering what Trudy had mentioned. Amber's hurt look gave KC the clue he'd been looking for "It was Bray… wasn't it?"

Amber nodded "Him and Dal…"

"Dal? What happened to him?" KC asked… "You can tell me"

"He was my best friend… and I couldn't save him. See he was attacked on his way home from helping at the hospital, some guys mugged him and he was pushed over a bridge"

"Oh… I'm sorry"

"Yeah, so was everyone else." Amber replied with a shrug of the shoulders… "Bray was at first, until Trudy found out about our affair and he ended it with me. He couldn't face never seeing his brat again"

"Oh… I didn't know that"

"Yeah, well Trudy made sure everyone thought it was me coming onto Bray… she didn't add the part about her blackmailing him with Martina. She used that brat to get what she wanted… and then Bray got blown to bits. That's life"

"Yeah… but I don't get it, why turn to prostitution?"

"Why am I on the game?" Amber laughed… "Silly boy, can't you guess? Lex?"

"Lex is the reason you're on the game?" KC asked with a frown…

"Lex is my dealer…"

"Dealer? Oh…" KC mumbled, suddenly getting what Amber was on about…

"Silly boy. Now do you want some 'fun'?" Amber asked with a smirk "Discount for friends"

KC frowned and backed away into Patsy… "Patsy!"

Patsy frowned and looked at Amber "Get lost bitch!" she yelled and then dragged KC away from Amber, heading home with an angry look on her face…

"I thought you were decent KC!" Patsy yelled outside her house…

"I am…"

"I saw you with that skank Amber… she's a cheap whore!" Patsy cried as she raised her hand and brought it down hard across his cheek… "I'm ashamed of you!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 **

KC sighed, so far at college Patsy had been ignoring him… he hadn't even really been talking to Amber, she had been the one who had offered him sex… he'd just been trying to get rid of her…

"KC" Jack called… as the green haired guy turned around…

"Oh hey Jack" KC said with a nod… since he'd been nice to Jack in the computer labs, him and Jack had passed comments in the hallway, which was nice since KC didn't know a lot of people at college.

"Do you know these guys?" Jack asked, as he pointed to a group of three guys…

"Yea… Andy, right?" KC asked as he smiled at the ginger boy…

"Yeah, sorry I was in such a shit mood the other night. It's just that bloody house is so fucked up, as you probably guessed"

"I did notice it seemed tense" KC admitted…

"Tense? That's an understatement… ever since Ned married that clown Ellie… why I have no idea! She's a freak who takes too many pills since she hit her head. She fell down and since the concussion she's believed she's in love with my bro… with Ned"

"Oh… sounds bad"

"Yeah… and the fact that the fucker who said he was my brother is actually my father… well that's a whole different kettle of fish"

"Wait… Ned's your father?" KC asked Andy…

"Yeah… he was kind enough to tell us a month ago. It's left Tally royally fucked up"

"Hmmm…" KC mumbled… still in shock to say anything else…

"Well" Jack interrupted… "You know Andy. These two are Patch and Ved"

KC's next class was with Patch, it was advanced computer programming… something KC had no idea why he was taking… it wasn't like he understood it; in fact he struggled to keep up.

"Patch… do you get this?" KC whispered, still keeping an eye on the teacher as he spoke…

Patch looked up from his magazine… "Yeah… I've already done the homework… it's a synch"

"Huh?" KC asked… "How comes you find it so easy?"

Patch shrugged "Dunno… I just do"

"So what are you reading?" KC asked as he pointed at the magazine Patch had… his eyes widening as Patch held it up… "You're reading porn in class?"

"Yeah… I'm addicted to the magazines…" 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

It was that time again, the time for the weekly poker game… KC couldn't say he was excited to be going, but he'd seen Lex earlier and the guy had encouraged him to go. Seeing as how he couldn't expect any more surprises besides what he'd seen the previous week, KC couldn't think of a valid excuse not to go.

It was only later on that night, that KC realised he really shouldn't have gone… Amber was there again; wearing a tiny outfit that left nothing to the imagination… somehow KC knew that he'd never look at pink PVC in the same way again.

"So" Lex murmured as he turned to Luke… "You gonna pay for the lap dance?"

Luke frowned at Lex "What lap dance? She's the one sitting on my lap, I never asked for her to sit on me"

Lex rolled his eyes "Doesn't matter… you're using her, so you owe me"

"Fuck off" Luke replied sticking his finger up at Lex…

Just then the doorbell rang… "Saved by the bell!" KC laughed with a smirk… trying somewhat to lighten the atmosphere…

"I'll get it" Pride signed… making KC laugh as Pride's red nose fell off…

Lex glared at Luke, who glared back… while Amber remained on Luke's lap…

"Who is it Pride?" Ryan yelled… as the door flew open and the sounds of heels could be heard on the tiled floor…

"Is he here?" yelled a female voice…

"Uh oh" Luke mumbled as he tried to push Amber off his lap… which only made her squirm against him…

"LUKE!"

"Sweetheart… I can explain"

"Yeah… I bet you can!" Lex laughed…

"Shut up you!"

"Hey… is that anyway to talk to your ex-husband Tai-san?" Lex replied with a smirk…

Tai-san screeched and slapped Lex around the face with her bag… "Why is that tart on your lap Luke?"

"Oh he's having a free lap dance" Amber replied… "Do you want one…?"

Tai-san's face went bright red and she punched Amber square on the jaw, knocking the girl off of Luke's lap… "Just wait till I get you home!" she yelled, grabbing Luke's arm and dragging him out the door "Doesn't this wedding band mean anything to you?"

Meanwhile a bruised Amber and a furious Lex moved into the kitchen, where their raised voices could be heard… Pride returned from the door with a blonde haired girl as Ryan's jaw dropped "Ruby"

"Hi Ryan… KC" Ruby said with a smile, as she bent down and picked up Pride's red nose, handing it to him as she spoke "I think you dropped this"

"Ruby… oh sweet, sweet Ruby" Ryan mumbled… "You are so beautiful, you make my heart flutter"

"What's he saying?" Ruby asked with a worried frown…

KC and Pride shrugged, the two guys disappearing from the room as Ryan and Ruby moved closer together "I missed you" Ryan mumbled as Ruby nodded, their lips inches apart…


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

KC was relieved to get out of the house, after Tai-san's and Luke's somewhat dramatic exit, Lex and Amber had stormed out, Amber practically running after Lex when he threatened to cut her drug supply short. Having watched Ryan and the chick Ruby get all touchy-feely, KC was not in the mood for watching Pride juggle… so he'd left and decided to head home, and it was the best thing to do…

Walking down the road, KC was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear someone call his name, and it wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he realised someone was there…

"Hi…" KC said to the blond guy…

"It's Ved, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I met you earlier on, right?"

Ved nodded, "Do you want to come for a drink? Just to the local, I'm on the way there myself"

KC frowned; his night couldn't possible get any worse so he nodded "Sure… why not!"

Following Ved into the pub, KC looked around… it was nothing special, a bit of a dive… but at least it seemed to be populated with people around his age group… no one in there seemed to be over the age of about 25.

"What you drinking?" Ved asked as he stood at the bar…

"Er… I'll just have a pint" KC mumbled as he looked around, a familiar face sat at the edge of the bar and he frowned… with her dark hair with pink tips, KC knew that it was May, damn not two years ago he'd had the biggest crush on her, he'd know the back of her head anywhere.

She looked really down and KC was tempted to go and find out what her life was like, until a pint was thrust into his hand…

"Now for a game of pool" Ved said with a nod…

"Pool? Sure" KC replied… "Anyone else playing?"

"Yeah" Ved said as the two of them walked over to the far end of the bar, to where the pool table was occupied… "This is my brother, Jay"

Several games later, and Ved kept using the cue around the wrong way, while Jay was preoccupied looking at the other people in the pub.

"Ved, don't you think you've had enough to drink?" KC asked, he himself was a little unsteady on his feet… but Ved was a mess, his eyes were bloodshot and he kept falling over…

"Nah… I'm good"

"Okay" KC said doubtfully as he looked over to Jay… "Who's that guy?"

"That is… Sladey" Ved laughed… "I think my brother has a crush on him!"

KC raised an eyebrow at Ved, although Ved was drunk… KC had noticed that Jay had been staring at the guy, Slade, for the majority of the night, at one point drool was even forming at the corner of his mouth.

KC shook his head… what had he got himself into now?


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 **

Having watched as Ved became so intoxicated that it took all of his effort to take one step, KC decided that he'd best take Ved home, with Jay's help…

"Can you give us a hand? He's had a lot to drink" KC said, catching Ved as the boy fell into his arms…

"Sure" Jay said a longing glance cast back at Slade before he turned back to Ved… "Come on little bro… let's get back you to bed"

"No!" Ved yelled… "Leave me… Alone… fucker!"

Jay frowned… "What did I do wrong?"

Ved rolled his eyes and used KC's shoulder to regain some of his balance… "You're an old man!" he slurred…

"Huh?"

"Won't let me have fun…" Ved mumbled… "I saw you drooling over Sladey"

"What!" Jay yelled as he let go of Ved's arm, standing in the pub doorway… "I was not staring at Slade!"

"You were…" Ved said with a smile… "I know you're …"

Jay frowned… "Oh get lost Ved. You're a loser… nothing but a drunken loser…"

"Well at least I was born a man!" Ved yelled back…

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jay demanded….

"You were… born… a fucking female!" Ved yelled before he slid down the wall into an unconscious heap… leaving a shocked Jay behind. As KC made quick getaway…

KC groaned and rolled over in bed, picking up the alarm clock as he tried to focus his eyes on the time. His head was throbbing from the previous night, and he was late for college… he just couldn't be bothered to go in…

Half hour later and he was in front of the TV, some news channel on as he tried to force down some toast to get rid of the icky feeling at the back of his throat.

Almost jumping out of his skin, KC picked up his mobile when it beeped… smiling as he saw he had a text from Patsy…

_Slacker! Why aren't you at college? I'm all on my own and it sucks. I'll be in town at the coffee shop after classes… you'd better be there on time. I want to know what you were up to last nite!_

_Catch ya later, Pats_.

KC smiled and text back…

_You wouldn't believe me if I told you what happened last night. I'll be there, see ya later.  
><em>  
>Putting down his phone, KC smiled and turned up the volume; if he wasn't going into college… he could at least learn something from the news headlines.<p>

"The boy known to his friends Ram, died late last night. His death from a cold is being investigated as suspicious. We'll bring you more on this story as it develops.

And just in, we've heard that the appeal by Danni Jones against her conviction has been denied… she will serve out the rest of her sentence in jail"

KC dropped the remote… Danni was in prison! Well he certainly hadn't seen that coming…


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

After the shock of hearing about Danni in prison, KC left the house… suddenly the four walls felt like they were closing in on him and he needed air. Walking down the street, and not really paying attention to where he was going… KC found out he'd ended up back at the pub from the previous night.

Sighing as he looked at his watch, KC realised he had two hours before it was time to meet Patsy, so he decided to go for a quick pint to waste the time. As he stepped inside he saw her again, May.

"Hey stranger" KC started as he stood next to the bar and then frowned, realising she probably didn't have a clue who he was "Um I mean I'm KC, and can I buy you a drink?"

May smiled, "I know who you are, we only lived next door to each other for two years! How are you?" May laughed "And yeah I will have a drink!"

KC raised an eyebrow, he and May had been neighbours… he didn't remember that…

When he and May were sat back down with drinks, he sighed, asking the inevitable question he'd been asking all the Mallrats he encountered… "So what have you been up to?"

May looked at KC and then burst into tears "Dying"

"Dying?" KC asked, chocking on the beer as he did… "You're dying May?"

"Not me… inside I'm dying. It's Salene" May mumbled through her tears…

"I don't get it" KC said…

"SALENE IS DEAD!" May cried, "What else do you need to know?"

"How?"

"The fucking bulimia killed her, her parents were bastards… didn't believe how bad she really was, and she died"

"Oh"

"Yeah… but I'll get even with those bastards… I'm going to kill her parents. Make them see what they took from me" May cried as she slumped into a little ball and started to cry fresh tears…

Getting out his piece of paper, KC sighed adding May and Salene's names to the list…

_The Guardian – Killed when he blew up the Mall  
>Zandra – Died at the Mall<br>Bray – Died at the Mall, was with Trudy and they had a kid called Martina, Trudy blackmailed him about his affair with Amber  
>Trudy – Alive, has Martina, loved Bray, and hates Amber<br>Martin – Killed himself when he thought Trudy was pregnant with his baby  
>Brady – Bray's child, called Martina<br>Amber – Alive, definitely a bitch and a drug addict  
>Paul – Alive, but missing<br>Patsy – Alive  
>Ryan – Spaced out hippy, weird when it comes to Ruby<br>Luke – Utter freak! Who is married to Tai-san  
>Lex – Amber's pimp and her dealer, was married to Tai-san<br>Pride – Mute who wants to join the circus as a clown  
>Alice – Dead, killed by a barn<br>Ellie – Married to Ned (only after she hit her head), and lives at the farm  
>Ned – Married to Ellie, is just plain weird! And is the twins father<br>Tally – Pregnant by someone called Sammy  
>Andy – A very negative person<br>Jack – Orphan who works for a big computer company  
>Cloe – Child model, now not working!<br>Dal – Died, mugged and pushed off a bridge  
>Patch – Jack's friend who is addicted to porn magazines<br>Ved – Jack's friend, and Jay's brother  
>Tai-san – Married to Luke, was married to Lex<br>Ruby – Tai-san's friend who likes Ryan  
>May – Was with Salene, now wants to kill Sal's parents<br>Jay – Ved's brother, likes Slade? Born female?  
>Slade – Some guy who hangs around<br>Ram – Died from a cold  
>Danni – In prison for a long time<br>Salene – Died from bulimia_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 **

When May had disappeared into the ladies, KC had left enough money on the table for another drink before he'd run off. He didn't want to hang around May if she was going to kill someone… and from what he'd heard, there was no way he'd be able to stop her…

Looking at his watch again, KC groaned, he still had another hour before he was going to meet Patsy… so he figured he may as well head into town… at least that way he'd be able to walk around before meeting her, and wouldn't have to deal with depressed May anymore.

Walking down the road, KC was looking at his feet when he saw the scantily clad leg appear from an alleyway. His eyes trailed up her body until he saw who it was and he jumped back, "Amber!"

Amber smirked, resting her hands on her hips "KC. Nice to see you again"

"Well I can't say the same to you. Bye" KC said as he started to walk off, yelping when Amber grabbed his hair and pulled him back, his head resting on her shoulder as she did…

"Now that's not very nice!" Amber said with a smirk, the overpowering perfume she wore was filling KC's nostrils and he was struggling not to sneeze…

"Let me go you whore!" KC yelled as he wriggled free, not before losing some of his hair to Amber's iron tight grip… "Leave me alone!"

"Ah sweetheart, I was gonna offer you some fun" she said with a wink…

KC shook his head and sneezed "You're disgusting Amber! You've gone from being a pompous cow to being pond scum… in fact; pond scum probably has more pride. Why don't you just get a life and some dignity?" he said, striding off and shaking his head as he did… ending up walking into what he could only describe as a pink blob…

"Oh shit! What now?" KC cried as he looked up at the girl… she didn't look like a model, just someone who had absolutely no fashion sense…

"Oh my god… are you blind?" Gel screeched… "You nearly knocked me over!"

"I'm sorry" KC mumbled as he shrugged, "I didn't see you!"

"That is even worse… don't you know who I am?" Gel cried…

"Um no… should I?"

Gel shrieked… "I'm Gel… the model. Or at least I will be when I get the modeling contract"

"Oh" KC said smirking, shaking his head at the deluded girl….

"You men don't understand" Gel started… "I will…" she carried on, soon stopping when a red haired guy came running up… "What do you want Sammy?"

"I want you to go out with me Gel!" Sammy cried… "Please?"

KC raised an eyebrow, so this was 'Sammy', he wondered if it was the same Sammy who knocked Tally up… and low and behold the red haired very pregnant girl appeared…

"Who is this Sammy?" Gel asked…

"I'm Tally… and I'm pregnant!" Tally retorted…

"I can see that. And I wasn't talking to you!" Gel yelled…

Sammy looked rather scared as both girls glared at him… "Um… um…"

"Sammy's the one who got me knocked up. And you are?" Tally asked…

"That's your kid?" Gel cried… "And you were asking me out? That's just disgusting Sammy. Besides I could never lower myself to date you!"

"What!" Tally yelled, "He was asking you out! You skanky bitch!"

"Me? He's the bastard!"

"You're right" Tally retorted as she slapped Sammy hard across the face, leaving a red handprint, followed by a slap across Gel's face… "You're both scum!" she yelled, before turning on her heel and leaving…

Gel looked at Sammy and shook her head before she rushed off, tears in the corner of her eyes "Shame on you Sammy" she called…

Sammy hung his head and looked over at KC… "Women huh?"

KC just laughed… some people's lives were just a mess…


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

KC was so glad when Patsy finally did show up, so much so that he threw his arms around her, hugging her tightly… "Pats… I'm so glad to see you," he laughed… "It's been a horrid day"

"What do you mean KC?" Patsy asked with a frown as she took a seat at the table…

"I mean… Amber turned up again!"

"That prostitute?" Patsy asked with a smirk…

"Yeah… anyway, I don't want to talk about her, what's your day been like?" KC asked with a smile…

"Oh I almost forgot… the police, they've had a lead on where Paul might be" she gushed… "Isn't that great"

"Yeah, so where is he?"

"I don't know. The police didn't give any details, except that they've received new information that they're following up" Patsy smiled…

KC nodded, he didn't hold out a lot of hope… if the police hadn't given any particular details to Patsy's parents, he doubted that it was a decent lead… it was probably a trail that had already gone cold…

Several hours later, after Patsy had dragged him around several shops… and after the two of them had eaten pizza for dinner, KC was walking Patsy home…

"So, we're here" Patsy said, as she transferred her shopping bags to the other hand and looked up to KC…

"Yeah" KC said, as he looked back into Patsy's eyes… the pair of them falling silent as they spoke only with their eyes… before KC leaned forward and kissed Patsy softly…

He was half expecting Patsy to pull away, but she didn't… she wrapped her free arm around KC and stepped closer to him, kissing him back passionately, before she broke away to come up for air…

"Night then" Patsy said as she smiled softly at KC…

"Night" KC mumbled, still dazed from the kiss he'd had from Patsy, watching as she waved and walked into her house…

KC was in a daze… well actually he was in love, head over heels in love with Patsy… the truth was he'd always been in love with her, she was always different from Cloe… she seemed to be the gentler one of the two and he loved her for that. Coupled with the recent kiss made him feel like he was on cloud nine, he felt like he was floating along… his feet weren't even touching the floor…

As he reached the bus stop, KC saw a girl with a child sitting on the bench, he frowned… something was familiar about her… "Trudy!" KC said with a smile as he sat down next to her… "Remember me?" he asked, carrying on explaining when she looked a little blank "We met a week or so ago… you told me about Bray and Martina"

"Oh yeah… how are you?" Trudy asked as she bounced Martina up and down on her knee, the little girl was babbling away to the dolly that she was flapping about…

"Oh me, I'm fine" KC said with a nod "And how are you doing, without Bray I mean?"

"I'm okay KC… I'm okay" Trudy said with a frown, but then shook her head "Truth is I'm not okay…"

"Why? What's wrong? Is it Martina?"

"No… nothing like that. It's just… you know when you're with someone who you love… but you don't know if he loves you…"

"Um… not really" KC shrugged…

"Well, I'm with this guy… we've been seeing each other for a while… and I think I love him… but I'm certain he doesn't love me"

"Can't you talk to him? Ask him what he feels?"

Trudy sighed… "I wish I could, but Jay's not the kind of person to talk about him emotions…"

"Jay? You're Jay's girlfriend?" KC asked with a frown…

Trudy nodded "Yeah, do you know him?"

KC shook his head… "I've seen him around… that's all" he said with a sigh… why was this world so fucked up? It was like he was in a goddamn pantomime…


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

KC still felt really happy the next morning when he finally went back to college… he was hoping for a more normal day… but doubted it. In the past few weeks he had come to expect the unexpected… and so far the unexpected was happening on a somewhat regular basis…

Shutting his locker, KC jumped a little when he saw Ved standing behind the locker door…

"Hi KC" Ved mumbled… "Um look, I'll make this short… I'm really sorry about the other night, I was a drunken shit… and sorry if I did anything to make you uncomfortable"

KC shook his head "No, don't be silly… you just slurred your words and knocked some drinks over… nothing I couldn't handle"

"Really? I thought I'd done worse than that… guess we're okay then…"

KC nodded "Sure we are…" he said, before frowning "What you said about Jay? Was it true?"

A couple of lockers down, someone was listening… his ears pricking up at the sound of Jay… as he listened with interest…

Ved nodded, "Yeah it is…"

"So your brother was born female?"

"My parents never really explained it… some part of him was female and he had an operation. But I overheard them talking, turns out he should have been a girl… um he was like more female than male… if that makes sense?"

"Kind of" KC said, somewhat enlightened but still puzzled…

"Oh god… I'm sorry" Darryl groaned as he knocked KC flying… "Are you okay?"

KC nodded "Sure… I'm fine…"

"You're a friend of Ved's aren't you?" Darryl asked as he helped KC up… knowing full well that it was KC and Ved he'd heard talking about Jay earlier on…

"Well friend maybe an overstatement… but I know him. I'm KC by the way, and you are?"

"Darryl… I'm a friend of Jay's"

"Ah I see" KC said, as the two of them reached the door… "Well I'll see you around"

Darryl nodded, not really paying attention as he looked around… he was trying to spot Jay, his friend had said he would be around the college in the afternoon… and the he saw the blonde guy waving at him from the car park…

KC meanwhile had headed out of college and was walking towards the gate when he saw Jay… he'd been meaning to ask Jay what he was doing with Trudy, he kind of felt bad after seeing Trudy look upset the previous night.

Changing direction KC hadn't noticed Darryl zooming towards Jay like a torpedo gliding through the water… stopping behind one of the cars, KC listened in…

"Darryl" Jay cried as he threw his arms around the guy, soon removing them when Darryl remained rigid… "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me Jay? About being female when you were born?"

"I didn't know" Jay cried… "I only found out a while ago… I didn't want to upset you with it"

"Upset me? I'd expect that my friend could at least be honest with me…"

"Come on Darryl… you know we're more than just friends…" Jay said, reaching out his hand to gently touch Darryl's cheek "You know I love you…"

"I don't love you Jay… not when you lie to me. I'm sorry" Darryl said, having known that Jay had Trudy on the go to keep up appearances, Darryl was upset to be put on the back burner… even more so when he learnt of Jay not telling him something important… he was better off alone…

A sly smirk spread across KC's face… Jay was, he was in love with a guy called Darryl… and was using Trudy… that just wasn't on… and somehow KC knew he was going to get his own back on Jay…


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

KC was totally confused about what or who Jay was. The guy seemed to have the morals of an alley cat… and now the poor guy Darryl was involved, and so was Trudy. He sighed; KC couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at the whole thing. But he had to tell himself that he didn't want to hurt anyone, he'd just have to see how it played out.

As usual, he wasn't looking where he was going and ended up tripping over… it was a habit he seemed to have developed in this place, he'd become a complete klutz. It was only when he heard a moan coming from between the garbage bags that he realised someone was actually there… "Oh god, are you okay?" KC asked, pulling the blanket away from the person's head…

"Ebony?" KC squeaked… rather shocked to see the disheveled super bitch hiding between garbage bags…

"KC" Ebony groaned… "Haven't seen you in years!" she laughed…

"You know me?" KC asked with a frown…

"Course I know you. We were neighbours… well at least we were for a while" Ebony mumbled as she struggled to sit up. Gone were her trademark braids, instead her hair was un-kept and greasy; she had no makeup on and looked a mess…

"What happened to you Ebony?"

Ebony laughed; "Like you don't know… everyone knows about my 'father'"

KC frowned… "Your father… you live on the streets because of him…"

"My god where have you been KC!" Ebony laughed, "Don't you remember the scandal, the two girls… Siva and Java!"

"Um…"

"My sisters, Siva and Java… the scandal with their deaths. The reason you moved away!"

KC just nodded as if he understood, Ebony had sisters… and he'd always thought that one of her was bad enough. "Ah right…"

"You don't remember do you?" Ebony asked, leaning close to KC…

KC stopped breathing in an attempt to stop the smell of Ebony overwhelming him… "My 'father', the drunk… he killed my sisters when they were young. And now he wants me. See I have to spend my time hiding. I can never go home, I can never escape!"

"Why don't you get help from someone?" KC asked…

"Because he will find me, and do you know what he will do if he finds me? Do you?"

"Kill you?" KC suggested…

"EXACTLY!"

Half an hour later, and KC had finally managed to escape the rambling homeless person… having just made it home, KC was a little surprised to see Ryan sitting on his doorstep.

"KC!" Ryan called "I thought you'd never get home!"

KC shook his head… the idea of Ryan with long hair was too much for him to handle with all the other weird shit going on "Yeah Ryan, what is it?"

"I need your help KC… you're the only sensible one of the group?"

"Help with what?" KC asked as he opened the front door and let himself and Ryan in…

"I need to prove to Ruby's parents that I am worthy of her love"

"You love Ruby?"

"Yeah" Ryan nodded "More than anything else in life…"

"Well why don't her parents like you?"

"I don't live up to their standards, they want a man like their son for Ruby… they want her to marry someone like Patch"

"Patch…" …as in the porn addict? KC added silently…

"Yes… will you help?"

"I guess so" KC mumbled… not too sure what he'd signed up for…


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

KC sighed; he'd just been on the way out of the door when Lex had turned up. Having known Lex for a good few years, and been through scrapes together… KC didn't have the heart to turn him away…

"So what can I do for you Lex?" KC asked as he stood in the doorway, shifting a little uneasily on his feet…

"Well… business is kind of slow, and I hate to ask. But you got any business you can put my way?"

"By business you mean?"

"Amber… needs some more action. She's been a little slow on getting business… seems the guys around here have had enough of her. But she was a goldmine at one point…" Lex said as he frowned… "Now… well now she's not!"

"God Lex, you're just disgusting… get out!" KC said as he shook his head in disgust and pushed Lex out of the open door… "Just go… and don't come back until you're a decent human being!"

Lex laughed "Cool it KC… you've changed. You use to be on the level. Now, well now you're a fucking goody two shoes… and no fun at all!" Lex retorted as he spun on his heel, his leather coat flying out behind him as he took off…

The low level that Lex had sunk to appalled KC; even back in the virus-ridden world he'd never been so low as to sell a woman for cash. Shaking his head, KC turned his attention back to Patsy, the two of them walking along, their hands entwined as they reached the pub…

"You ready?" KC asked as he held the door open for Patsy…

"It's only a game of pool!" Patsy said with a smirk… "I'm sure I can handle it…"

"I was referring more to the company" KC mumbled under his breath as he pointed at Ved, Patch, Jack and Andy at the bar.

"KC, Patsy…" Ved said with a nod, Patch doing the same as he looked up from his magazine… causing Patsy to raise an eyebrow at his subject matter.

Several pool games later, Patsy was beating the guys hands down, Jack and Andy weren't too happy about being on the losing team, but KC just thought it was funny and kept making digs at the losers. Ved meanwhile was busy trying to woe the ex-model Cloe who was not amused at Ved's attempts and had thrown her drink over him… twice!

"Ah, come on guys… one more game?" Patsy said as she smirked at them…

Jack shook his head… "No way, you're like the pool monster… we hardly even get a shot before you've won the game"

"Chicken?" KC asked with a smirk, frowning as he saw Andy's face change from bemused smile to an angry clouded sneer… "Andy?"

"I'm gonna get that freak!" Andy yelled as he vaulted over the pool table heading straight for Sammy who had just that moment walked in the door… "Come here!"

Sammy saw Andy lunging at him and didn't waste no time in turning and running straight back out the door he'd just come in. Unfortunately for Andy he fell over his own feet and ended up face down and bleeding on the floor.

Shaking his head at Andy's behaviour, KC picked the guy up… just in time to witness Cloe slap Ved so hard across the face that he fell off his stool and onto the floor, watching in dismay as Cloe stormed out of the pub…

"Nice place" Jack mumbled as he sat Andy down whilst Patsy went for ice to wake him up…

"Isn't it just?" KC asked aloud, as Patch looked up from his magazine… "Huh, did you say something?"

"No don't" worry Patch…" KC said, finding it unbelievable how much time he did spend reading the magazines…

Looking around, KC went to get his and Patsy's coats… figuring they'd leave soon if they weren't chucked out…

"I told you May… I know what your game is!" Mega said with a smirk…

"Go away Mega… I'm not in the mood"

"Fine, but remember I warned you. It's your fault if anything goes wrong…" Mega said, a smirk on his face as he turned to leave… bumping into a waiting KC as he did… "Get out of my way…freak!"

"Why were you threatening May? Can't you just leave the poor girl alone?" KC asked, not moving from where he stood…

"Like I said… move freak!" Mega said his voice slightly louder but his face remaining stone cold…

"No!"

"Fine…" Mega said as he shrugged and brought his foot down hard on KC's, pushing KC to the side… "I'll move you myself," he said, before he headed out of the pub… a figure following him as he walked along the street…

"I wanna go home," KC mumbled as he stumbled to his feet and went back to pick up the coats… "I really hate this pub!"


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 **

KC was so glad when he'd left the pub… in fact he'd almost dragged Patsy out when she'd come back from getting ice. He hated this world so much, well actually that wasn't entirely right. He hated the fact that some of his friends were dead, and that others were complete scumbags. But what he did love was the fact that Patsy was alive and she was his friend, in fact KC knew that to him Patsy was more than a friend. She was the girl he loved… and the one he imagined spending his whole life with.

He just wasn't ready to go back to the old world and be without her again. If he was honest he wasn't even sure if he wanted to go back…

"KC… you there?"

"Huh what?" KC croaked as he looked around, frowning at the duck that was before him… yet again it was Alice, this time with the body of a duck and she looked utterly ridiculous… "My god Alice…"

"I know KC… it's your damn dream and you bring me back as a duck. Please promise me next time I come to see you that I can be a human?" Alice asked…

KC laughed… "Sure… now why are you in my dream again?"

"Don't you get it KC? I only come into your dreams when you need me, like you do right now!"

"I need you?" KC asked as he frowned… "But why?"

"To explain who all these people are, the new ones that you don't know, and why some of the names sound familiar."

"Oh"

"Yes oh… they're the Techno's. Or at least they would be Techno's if we were back in the other world. You know, the one where I'm not dead?"

"Yeah I get your point" KC smirked… "But the Techno's… were those the guys that took us? The one's with the masks?"

Alice nodded, her wings flapping as she did… "Got that right kid."

"Woah… so which ones are Techno's? And who's the bad guys?"

"Jay, Ram, Ved, Siva, Java and Mega are the Techno's… Mega's the one you'll have to watch out for"

"What about Jay? He's… odd" KC said as he searched for a term to describe the blonde haired one…

"Jay's what you'd call a man-whore. Likes to spread himself around thinly enough so that everyone gets a piece" Alice retorted…

"Oh… well at least Amber makes money when she does it…"

"I've got to go now KC. I just had to tell you, seems you had an inkling to know who they were!"

"Oh… well thanks."

"Keep safe KC. And remember, next time I want to be a human!" Alice laughed as she flew away into the sunset…

KC sat bolt upright, a smile on his face when he realised he was only dreaming again…

"Thanks Alice"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

After yet another disturbing dream, KC had managed to make it to college. He was a little shocked; after all he was looking more and more of a mess these days. Living in a world that he wasn't use to, and finding out what had happened to all of his 'friends' was taking its toll. Plus his hair was bugging him, he had the green spikes, but being without tribal makeup was starting to annoy him, as was the lack of the Mallrat pentagram on his hand, which he'd come to accept as a sign of home…

Having made it to college… KC went to his tutoring session with Jack. At least that was one friend he knew who seemed relatively normal, a far cry from the back skanky place that Lex was in…

"Jack!" KC called out as he sat down… "I need to ask you a question"

"Sure" Jack said, a bemused smile gracing his face as he spoke…

"This guy at the pub, do you know him?"

"Um what guy…"

KC sighed… "He's about so high; short cropped dark hair… wears glasses…"

"Mega!" Jack said as he shook his head…

"Mega? That's his name?" KC asked as Jack nodded… "What is he? Some kind of freak?"

"No… just super intelligent" Jack said with somewhat of a resentful sigh… "Too clever!"

"How do you know him?"

"We're in the same computer class" Jack replied as he ran a hand through his hair… "We should get cracking on this lesson. We've got a lot to cover you know!"

KC smiled… so the guy hassling May was called Mega. He must have an ego problem if he called himself that. He couldn't imagine parents bestowing that kind of name on a kid…

Sometime after lunch, when Patsy had left to go to her own class, which she'd mumbled something about taking a language as an extra course. It left KC with a free study period, and he already knew what he was going to do. Having spotted Mega heading into the computer lab… and then checking no one else was around, KC slipped into the room. Closing the door behind him…

"Mega!" KC called… "We need to talk," he said, watching as the geeky looking guy turned around in his chair, adjusting his glasses as he did...

"Oh… it's you. What do you want?"

"I want to know why you're threatening May!" KC retorted, for some reason Mega was giving him the creeps…

"That… is none of your business" Mega answered with a smirk…

"I'm making it my business" KC sneered as he stepped closer to Mega… "May's a friend of mine…"

"May doesn't have any friends," Mega laughed as he raised an eyebrow at the door opening…

Turning around, KC saw that Mega's raised eyebrow was indeed valid. The guy KC had seen talking to Jay just days before was looking somewhat embarrassed as he glanced at Mega…

"Did you want something Darryl?" Mega questioned, his cold demeanor more than obvious

"I have to…" Darryl started as he took a deep breath, glancing at KC when he realised the other guy wasn't going to leave. "I have to tell you something Mega!"

"What?"

"I… well... I love you!" Darryl cried… "I mean, I'm really in love with you!"

It was at that moment that KC's jaw hit the floor and he almost forgot how to breathe.

"You love me?" Mega asked with a bemused smirk… "How quaint"

"Quaint?" Darryl asked, a hurt looking crossing his face… "Don't you… have feelings for me?"

"No Darryl" Mega said bluntly… "Quite frankly I don't!"

"But… I thought!" Darryl mumbled, as he realised he'd made a big mistake…

"So you're straight?" KC asked as he stepped into the conversation, he felt kind of sorry for Darryl. The guy obviously meant his declaration of love, and it wasn't very nice to have it thrown back in his face.

"No…"

"So you are then?" KC asked… frowning as Mega shook his head… "I don't get it…"

"You can call me anti-sexual… speaking bluntly, I don't swing either way. Never have, never will!"

KC looked at Darryl. He didn't know what to say, what could he say?


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

It was several days later, and there was some kind of party at the local pub… KC wasn't even sure what the party was, all he knew is that Ryan was dragging him along, claiming he needed a good night out…

"Oh KC!" Ryan said as he shook her head… "You can at least smile," he mumbled as he dragged KC through the doors

KC was not amused, he'd much rather have spent the evening with Patsy, but she wasn't around…she'd left college early, practically abandoning KC on his own… looking around as he entered, KC spotted familiar faces of people he'd met in the last weeks…

Rolling his eyes as Ryan dumped KC and headed straight for Ruby, KC made sure he was heading away from Amber and Lex who seemed to be attempting to drum up some business in the darkened corner of the pub. It didn't bode well with Luke and Tai-san who were with Ruby. Tai-san kept pouncing on Luke every time he looked at someone, kissing the guy so that he might as well have been joined to her lips!

Having also spotted Jay, Jack, Ved and Pride… KC was not liking the atmosphere of the party… to say you could cut through the atmosphere was an understatement… you could hack through it with a saw and it would still be stressful… "What fun!" KC mumbled sarcastically as he spotted Darryl at the bar…

"You okay?" KC asked… he hadn't seen Darryl around lately and the confrontation with Mega had hard on Darryl…

"Just super!" Darryl mumbled as he picked up his drink and headed off away from KC… shaking his head, he then frowned when Jay came over…

"KC… what's wrong with Darryl? He won't return my calls!"

Opening his mouth ready to speak, KC raised an eyebrow when he saw Trudy come into the pub… a new man following her in, as she made an obvious beeline for Jay…

"Um… Trudy!" KC mumbled as he stepped away, not wanting to get smacked, narrowly avoiding Trudy's slap, her hand connecting with Jay's cheek and leaving a bright red handprint…

"Trudy!" Jay cried, his hand raised to his stinging cheek… "What was that for?"

"You bastard!" Trudy cried… "You cheated on me… that's what it was for!"

"Cheated on you? I didn't do anything like that!" Jay protested…

"Yeah… so why did you proclaim your love to Darryl then? I know you two were seeing each other," Trudy said, tears forming in her eyes as she spoke…

"Oh…" Jay said as he looked at the floor, a sure sign of guilt…

"You hurt me Jay… really hurt me!" Trudy said, by now her tears were flowing freely… "What did I do to ever deserve the way you treated me?"

Jay frowned… "I'm sorry… I never meant…"

Trudy shook her head "Don't even try to make excuses… you're a lowlife Jay! Pond scum!"

KC watched as Trudy got more upset, she obviously had cared for Jay and finding out about cheating had upset her more than he'd ever thought it would. The guy who Trudy had arrived with was familiar to KC, but he couldn't quite place him…

The guy took Trudy's arm as he pulled her into a hug, holding her in an embrace as the entire pub watched as Trudy cried into the guy's shoulder and Jay shuffled on the spot, the entire situation making the tense atmosphere increase tenfold…


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 **

Soon after Trudy got weepy, Jay left and the atmosphere got lighter… it turned out that Trudy's bloke was in fact Slade, someone KC dimly remembered meeting a while ago. Him and Trudy had disappeared off to the toilets, and it was only Jack came back with a smile on his face, explaining exactly what he'd heard that KC felt better for Trudy… she was obviously wasting no time with Jay and had moved on to greener pastures…

It was an hour or so later that Mega turned up… he came alone and immediately Darryl disappeared out the door, he didn't seem too happy to be in the same room as the guy who had rejected him. Not that KC could blame him; Mega had been way too harsh on Darryl.

KC watched Mega, careful to make sure the weirdo didn't approach May or do anything to threaten the girl. He felt protective towards May, like an older brother would be. She'd obviously been through the mill and the last thing she needed was someone like Mega messing her around.

But it seemed that Mega wasn't there to bother May… instead he didn't make a beeline for the brunette; he headed straight to the bar and sat there staring across the room. Something that made shivers run down KC's spine… Mega's stare was way too cold for his liking!

KC was lost in his thoughts when he felt someone tugging on his sleeve… "Hey what's the big idea?" he cried as he turned to face the person who had been tugging on his sleeve…

"Hi" the girl said as she smiled up at KC… "Can you help me?"

KC looked worried and then shrugged "I can try… what do you want?"

"I'm looking for my brother"

"Your brother!" KC said with a raised eyebrow as his demeanor softened a bit and he smiled at the girl "You got a name?"

The girl nodded "I'm Mouse. Do you know my brother Mega?"

"Mega? Your brother is Mega?" KC asked in disbelief as he shook his head at the girl, and pointed towards the bar "There's your brother!"

"Oh thanks" Mouse said as she smiled at KC before wandering off towards Mega. The guy looking slightly worried as the girl approached him.

KC watched with interest, whatever happened next was going to be 'interesting'. Smiling as he leaned against the wall, KC soon frowned at the weirdness that seemed to be following Mouse. Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, KC could have sworn that the 'thing' following Mouse looked like a ghost of a small boy wearing a name tag with 'Charlie' written on it.

Shaking his head as the 'ghost' disappeared; KC turned his attention back to Mega and Mouse, who were now talking. Or rather Mouse was rambling happily and trying to latch herself onto Mega who was not looking amused.

Listening with interest, KC's eyes widened as he heard the rest of the conversation…

"Leave me alone little girl" Mega complained as he shook his leg in an attempt to remove Mouse…

"No Mega! You're my brother… I've been looking for you everywhere!" Mouse cried as she laughed, thinking the whole thing was a joke!

"I am not… I repeat not your brother little girl. It's biologically impossible for me to be your brother!" Mega retorted as he crossed his arms…

"WHY!" Mouse yelled, loud enough for the entire pub to hear…

"Because I'm an android stupid girl!" Mega yelled as several jaws dropped open and Mouse burst into tears…


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

When the party had died down, or rather when Mega's bombshell had pretty much killed the party, KC had wandered off to go to Patsy's. He'd had a weird message left on his mobile voicemail, but hadn't got it till he'd left the pub. But now, he was worried about Patsy… she'd seemed really weird.

"Patsy!" KC called as he wandered into her room after her parents had let him in…

"Oh KC" Patsy cried as she launched herself into his arms, sobbing her heart out as she rested heavily against him…

"Hey" KC said softly as he rubbed his hand gently up and down Patsy's back whilst walking her over to the bed that he sat down on, taking her into his arms as her sobs intensified… "Patsy, sweetie… what is it?"

"It's Paul!" Patsy cried… "They found him!"

"That's great Patsy… isn't it?" KC asked, wondering why Patsy would be crying if they'd found Paul alive… "He's dead isn't he?" he asked, sighing deeply when Patsy nodded… "Oh sweetie… I'm so sorry! Do they know how… or why?"

Patsy sniffled loudly as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand "I um… my mum said that the police think it was something to do with drugs. And that they have witnesses that a gang of youths was following him the night he went missing… KC… they think Paul was murdered because he was dealing drugs!"

KC opened his mouth to speak. He knew that this reality wasn't his… but he knew for sure that Paul would never deal drugs… not the sweet boy he'd known in the weeks before he'd disappeared. "Never!"

Patsy nodded before she collapsed back into KC's arms and sobbed her heart out, KC stayed with her loyally… it tore his heart out to see her so upset…


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

It was several days later that KC's 'world' exploded… Patsy was inconsolable about Paul, she didn't eat, didn't move from her room… she just sat looking through her photo albums over and over again. But that wasn't what changed the world; it was what he heard on the news…

'Four men have been arrested in connection with the murder of a local boy, Paul Rivers, the 17 year olds body was discovered several days ago, after he had been missing for several months. In the last few days, the police investigation has been making progress, and evidence has led them to arrest four boys. Aged between 16 and 18. We'll have more on this story as it develops...'

KC was shocked… he hadn't expect to find out about it on the news; he thought that Patsy would have told him. But when he rang her phone her father answered…

"Sorry KC" Mr Rivers said "She's not here… she's um… out!"

KC frowned… "Oh… ok thanks" he said as he hung up, something was wrong… her father was lying… he could tell that Mr Rivers was covering up for something… sighing KC figured he'd go see Jack, maybe the guy would have some answers…

As KC walked up the road to Patch's house, knowing that Jack would be around there, his worried frown grew worse… there was a police car outside Patch's house, and Ruby was sitting on the doorstep…

"Hey" KC called as he jogged the short distance to where Ruby was sitting… "What's going on?"

"Oh KC!" Ruby cried, as she looked up at him "It's just horrid!"

"What is?" KC asked as he sat down next to her… "What's the police car doing here?"

"It's Patch!" Ruby said in a small voice… "They've arrested him!"

"Why? What… woah, has this got something to do with Patsy's brother Paul?" KC asked, his frown deepening still…

Ruby nodded… "They arrested him on suspicion of murder… came and took both him and Jack away!"

"They took Jack too… so Jack and Patch are two of the four the news was talking about… I wonder who…"

"Andy and Ved!" Ruby said as she looked down at the ground… "That's who else they arrested… they think the four of them killed Paul!"


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

The next couple of days flew by in a daze; KC was there for Patsy as much as he could be. But at the same time he kept his eyes and ears peeled, keen to hear about the four guys and what their fate was.

The news on the local TV station had never been hotter than it was right now; so far he'd learnt that the boys were going to be charged with Paul's murder. It seemed that no one was completely clear on who had killed Paul, but that the 'New Zealand Four' as they'd been named, were aware of the hit on Paul, and neither one of them did anything to stop it. That alone made them accessories to murder…

Shaking his head as he re-read the report in the newspaper, KC looked up from his place at the bar, signaling the barman for another vodka, as he downed it, taking some relief from the alcohol, hoping it'd numb the pain he was feeling. He'd left Patsy sleeping at home, her mother had slipped some pills into her daughter's drink, and convinced KC that Patsy was going to be out for a good few hours, and that he should take a break… so that's what he did, he went to drown his sorrows…

Glancing up at the TV screen, KC frowned when a familiar figure came onto the screen… "Hey turn that up!" he called, trying to figure out exactly what Cloe was saying…

"…So yeah, it's like I was saying, Ved and me… we're close. Real close" Cloe said with a smirk as she flicked her hair over her shoulder…

KC shook his head, the tramp was cashing in on Ved's fame after being arrested? He couldn't believe it… Cloe certainly wasn't the same in this place… she was a back stabbing bitch.

Shaking his head, KC banged it on the bar a couple of times before his forehead connected with someone's hand stopping him from hitting the bar, turning to look at the owner of the hand, KC saw that it was Ruby….

"Ruby"

"KC" Ruby said with a sad nod as she sat down on the stool next to KC…

"What you doing here?" KC asked, wondering why she wasn't staying hidden away or trying to get her brother free…

"Taking a break from reality!" Ruby said with a shrug as she ordered double vodka… "It sucks at the moment, you?"

"Same" KC said with a smirk… "Patsy's… well asleep at the moment. She's in a really bad way…"

"I'll bet" Ruby said as she picked up her glass and cradled it in her hands… "I'm sorry for what my brother's done… he's a pig!"

"You don't seem that bothered about it…" KC said as he raised an eyebrow… "I mean you'd think that someone whose brother has been charged with murder would be more concerned…"

"You'd think so wouldn't you?" Ruby replied as she shook her head, "Turns out Patch isn't my brother… well not biologically… he's adopted!"

"Oh" KC said… "But…"

"But… why does that change my feelings? Because KC, I've always been the one who's come second to everything Patch ever did. And now suddenly he's this killer and my parents have practically disowned him… my world is just a pile of crap. And you know what my parents said to me today?" Ruby asked in a flustered voice… "They said… that they're proud of me and that I can see Ryan with their blessing…"

"Oh" KC said with a confused frown…

"Yeah… it's fucked up… I just don't get my parents; I think they're aliens…"


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30 **

KC sighed as he looked at Patsy, she was so quiet now… not that he could blame her, she had lost so much and was so crushed… but he knew that he'd never leave her, he couldn't… his heart belonged to her…

"KC" Patsy said as her eyes fluttered open from where she'd fallen asleep on her bed…

"Yeah Pats" KC said as he reached out and brushed Patsy's hair away from her face…

"I was dreaming," she said softly… "About Paul and Lottie…"

KC frowned… "Who's Lottie?"

"She was my cousin… you remember when I told you about the Mall?" Patsy asked as she sat up…

"Yes… I just, well you never told me her name Patsy…" KC said as he smiled softly…

"I was dreaming that the two of them were happy, that they were together… but at the same time I was sad that they weren't together. It was weird… it was like they were mad at me for not going with them"

"For not being dead?" KC asked with a frown… "Do you want to be? Dead I mean?"

Patsy sighed and shook her head "I want to live KC… it's just, it hurts so much. Losing the both of them…!" she said as silent tears ran down her face…

Andy groaned as he looked down at the orange jumpsuit he was wearing, it really wasn't his colour… but still that was the least of his concerns. Right now he had a debut to prepare for, him Jack, Patch and Ved had the performance of a lifetime coming up.

He'd been the smart one of the group for a change, sure Jack was the brains of the operation… but he was the one who had talked and got the deal, he'd made it simple… if they wanted to know what was going on, and he did lay it on heavy that there was something going on… they were going to do it on national television, and they were going to have their murder charges reduced to manslaughter…

Jack watched Andy and Ved with interest, sure the four guys had their own areas of expertise, Jack was the brains, Ved was the ideas man, Andy the scheming one, who also classed himself as the one of them who was best suited to talk to the press, and Patch well he was the supplies man…

And now as they sat in front of some overly dressed reporter, who's perfume was making Jack's eyes water… he wondered whether their fate was sealed, whether all their hard work was about to be rewarded… or whether it was just a complete failure. Jack was confident it was the first.

KC sighed as he sat at home, he was watching the four bastards on the TV, and in fact they were on every single station, something to do with one of the deals they'd made in order to tell the truth of what happened. Narrowing his eyes, KC watched with baited breath…

"So" the reporter started… "Did you kill this Paul?"

Andy shrugged "We did…"

The reporter frowned… "You're freely admitting you killed this guy. But why would you do that?"

"He found out about us," Andy said with a solemn voice… "He had to be deleted!"

"Deleted… that's what you call murder!" the reporter said before regaining her composure…

"And what exactly did he find out? Our sources have indicated that it was something to do with drugs!"

Patch smirked "Drugs… yeah that was it!"

KC sighed as he watched the pathetic drama uncoil, they were a bunch of losers who had gotten into drugs to fund their equally pathetic lifestyles, shaking his head in disbelief, and KC got up to leave when he stopped in his tracks… totally not expecting to hear what he just had…

"Would you repeat that?" the reporter asked in a squeaky voice… her own pale face showing KC's equally stunned look…

Andy shrugged "I said, through Jack's job we have acquired the arming codes to several missiles that we are going to set off. We have enough firepower to create a big fat hole in several cities… enough to kill at least 500,000 innocent people"

"Why?"

"Because we can… and because we want to!"

"What do you want? "

"Our freedom" Andy said as he stared at the camera… "And respect. Or the missiles are launched!"


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31  
><strong>  
>It was several weeks later, and the New Zealand four's demands had been ignored… everyone, including KC had thought that the group of four misguided teenage boys had been bluffing… but that was then, and now as the world's media focused on the site before them, the missiles that were armed and ready to be launched, KC wrapped his arm around Patsy's shoulders…<p>

"I can't believe they'd do it!" Patsy said in a shocked voice, as she reached for KC's hands and entwined her fingers with his own…

"I know" KC said softly as he bent his head and kissed the top of Patsy's head softly…

"What's going to happen to us KC?" Patsy asked, her voice sounding like a small five year old speaking…

"I don't know Pats" KC admitted honestly, "But what I do know is that we'll be together whatever happens… I will never leave you Patsy". KC's hand slipped into his pocket as he felt the coolness of the amulet against his palm, he had the power to do something… to go back to what he'd come from, but Patsy still wouldn't be there. And after all this time he knew he couldn't live without her… sighing deeply, KC figured he'd have to wait and see how the story played out.

"I love you Patsy" KC said softly, as voice echoed with love, something he'd never felt before, and something he was certain was the real deal…

"I love you too KC!" Patsy said as she turned to face KC, their eyes inches apart as they searched for the truth of the emotions that they both felt, before KC leaned in and kissed Patsy passionately, the pair of them sealing their love with that kiss…

…As in the background the TV commentary played quietly, and the sight of the missiles launching was followed by the camera, the realization that the missiles were being deployed to the US, Europe… worldwide, suddenly dawned on them as KC and Patsy broke apart, gripping each other's hands nervously as the news reporter spoke…

"The missiles have been deployed," he said in a sad voice before a sudden announcement popped up on screen…

"Missiles have hit the US, Australia… they have been confirmed as nuclear missiles, and the blast is estimated to have killed millions already… god go with you, for this is Armageddon…"


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

When it had been announced that there was a missile heading close to where KC and Patsy were, KC had dragged Patsy down to the basement, bundled the pair of them under the old workbench that stood in the corner, and tried to form some kind of barricade in hope of surviving from the radiation… but being so use to there being no adults in the world, KC had forgotten about his and Patsy's parents… she had pleaded with him to let her out, and when he had finally relented, he'd had to pull her back as the walls shook from the blast… and Patsy screamed in anguish as she collapsed against KC…

That had been a week ago, KC had only ventured out two days after the blast to gather food and water before returning to the makeshift shelter, they'd held on as long as they could in the shelter, the fear of the effect of the radiation ensuring KC kept Patsy inside… he'd guessed that the half life of the radiation would mean that within a week the worse of it should have passed… and now as they sat staring at the fridge freezer that made up the front of their shelter, KC finally found the courage to speak…

"We could… go outside" he said in a small voice…

Patsy looked up at KC, her eyes hollow and her skin pale and clammy as she nodded… she couldn't find words to speak, not when she was about to face her worse nightmare…

Together KC and Patsy crawled out of the shelter, hands clasped together as they stumbled up out of the remains of KC's house, up the basement stairs and to the outside as the pair of them finally dared to breath in, wondering if that breathe would be their last…

"The world…" KC mumbled… as he looked around at the remains of his street, and the neighbouring streets that resembled piles of rubble, and not much more…

"…It's gone" Patsy mumbled as she glanced at several charred bodies residing in the roadside, before collapsing to her knees and breaking into sobs… her hand clasped over her mouth as she resisted the urge to retch…

"Patsy!" KC cried as he similarly dropped to his knees, his hands moving to cup her face as he looked at her through his own hollow eyes… "We'll be okay!" he said with a small smile…

Patsy shook her head… "No KC" she said through her tears… "It won't!"

"Why not?" KC cried… he didn't want Patsy to give up, they had to be strong… both of them…

"I'm dying…!" Patsy cried…

"No you're not… no one is… we're fine!"

Patsy shook her head… "I have cancer KC… and now all this, there's no hope for me… I'm really going to die…."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

KC shook his head at Patsy's confession… "No!" he cried… "Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

Patsy reached up and touched KC's cheek as she blinked through her tears… "I couldn't tell you KC… I love you too much. I knew it would kill you… but now, everything's different!" she said as she breathed deeply… "The world is different… and what mattered before doesn't matter anymore…"

KC looked down at the ground… "I… I can save us!" he said as he glanced back up at Patsy, before reaching into his pocket for the amulet… "With this!"

"I don't…" Patsy said as she frowned… "I don't understand"

"It brought me here Patsy…" KC started, sighing as he saw her confused look "I'm not from this world. In my world a virus was created, it wiped out all the adults in the world. There are only kids left in the world, and we've been through so much… but I was taken prisoner by a tribe… and someone gave me this. I wanted to see what the world would be like if there was no virus!"

"So you came here?" Patsy asked…

KC nodded "I thought it was better… but now I'm not convinced…"

"I don't get what that thing can do," she said as she motioned to the amulet… "What has it got to do with everything!"?

"This amulet has the ability to grant wishes… I have two wishes, but I've already used one… and there's only one more left…"

Patsy nodded "You have to do what's right KC" Patsy said as she stood up… frowning as a sound pierced the relative quietness of their flattened world. "What's that?"

KC frowned, as he stood up next to Patsy… "It sounds like…" he started as the sound got louder and a motorbike rode through the street, over the decaying bodies…

"BASTARDS!" yelled the voice on the motorbike, smirking as he saw Patsy and KC, skidding to a stop as the guy reached behind, pulling out several different guns… "So long losers!" he yelled…

The next seconds flashed so slowly before KC's eyes as his eyes widened…"No…." he cried as a spray of bullets headed for him and Patsy, as he jumped to push her to the ground… crying out as two of the bullets pierced his shoulder, groaning as he hit the floor, blood gushing from the wounds as he watched the guy leave… "Tophat!" he cried shaking his head as he turned to face Patsy who was pinned under him… "You okay?" he asked as he pushed himself up… and saw that Patsy was far from alright, a bullet had passed right through her jugular as blood poured from her neck…

"KC" Patsy said weakly as she looked up at KC with glassy eyes… "I'm cold!"

KC yelled in anguish "You're okay Pats!" he cried as he ripped a shred from his shirt in an attempt to stop the blood flow, groaning as the rag became soaked within seconds…

"I love you KC… whatever world we're in!" Patsy said as her breathing became ragged… "Always…"

"Patsy!" KC cried as he looked down at her, her weak body struggling to breathe as he watched her dying before him… "Don't leave me!" he cried, suddenly remembering the amulet… "I wish… I was back in my other world, that Patsy was well and all the Mallrats were together and free!" he cried as Patsy breathed deeply and then stopped as her head lolled to one side… "NO!" KC screamed as he sobbed into Patsy's chest, his heart breaking as his tears flowed freely…

"Honey… you okay?" came a familiar voice as KC looked up from where he'd been crying… suddenly scared when Patsy's body was no longer there, and the pain from his wounds had gone… "PATSY!" he cried… as he opened his eyes and looked around, confused at why he was suddenly laying in a different bed, in unfamiliar circumstances and why there was a familiar feeling about the place…

"I'm here KC!" Patsy said as she reached out and squeezed his hand… "It was just a dream… Are you okay?"

"I am now," KC said as he reached over to hug Patsy, breathing in her scent as he pulled back to look her in the face… "Your okay?"

Patsy frowned… "Of course I'm okay," she said with a smile… "Except this little one keeps kicking," she said happily as she motioned to her bump…

"You're pregnant?" KC asked with a frown… "Is it… mine?" he asked scared to broach the subject after what he'd been through the last months…

"Of course it is dummy… now get over here and give me a kiss…" Patsy said as she reached over to KC and touched his cheek gently… "Your wife needs some loving…"

KC hadn't smiled so much in ages as he shuffled closer to Patsy, wrapping his arm around her as he glanced over at the amulet sitting on the bedside table and sighed…

"What's wrong honey?" Patsy asked…

"Nothing" KC said as he shook his head… "Everything's just perfect… it's what I wished for!"

**THE END**


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